Junior dos Santos caps off championship win with “Knockout of the Night” bonus

For a kid from the favelas of Brazil it couldn’t have gotten much better than it did last night when Junior dos Santos laid claim to status as the top heavyweight in Mixed Martial Arts by beating previously undefeated Cain Velasquez to become UFC champion.

Making the taste of victory that much sweeter, the 27-year old’s win was also named the show’s “Knockout of the Night” earning him an additional $65,000 on top of his regularly contracted rate.

“Fight of the Night” (and $65,000 each) went to the exciting encounter between lightweights Ben Henderson and Clay Guida who wowed the crowd with a back-and-forth display. Henderson ultimately emerged with his hand raised due to decision and will face 155-pound champion Frankie Edgar this February assuming all goes according to plan.

Last but not least, “Submission of the Night” honors and the related cash were awarded to Ricardo Lamas who picked up his second straight win in the UFC by finishing Cub Swanson off with an Arm-Triangle Choke in their undercard bout.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC

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MMATraining Take: With the exception of the submission bonus, which I would have given to Dustin Poirer, it’s difficult to argue against the UFC’s selections. Overall UFC on FOX was a great show and a nice introduction of the organization’s offerings to the masses (though Bendo/Guida should have been televised).